Glitter in the Air
by MusicalPotterhead33
Summary: Draco and Katelyn have fought since age 7. After a destructive argument in the Great Hall, McGonagall takes action, but when the complex spell to make them civil goes awry, the'll be stuck with each other until a cure is found. Because of odd circumstances, they must learn to deal with eachother. Plus, a secret about Katelyn could make the situation much worse.- Full summary in Ch1
1. Chapter 1

_(Full Summary: Draco Malfoy and fellow Slytherin Katelyn O'Doherty have never liked each other. More truthfully, Draco has hated her since her family moved in down the street when she and Draco were seven. Every time they see the other, pleasant conversation is very far from near. After an especially destructive argument in the Great Hall, Headmistress McGonagall decides to takes action. But when the unusually complex spell to make them act civil towards the other goes awry, they'll have to be stuck with one another at all times until a cure can be found. Because of odd circumstances, and the fact that they can now feel the other's emotions, life is going to be a lot harder. They will have to learn how to deal with the other, their friends, and their issues, but both of them know that this is impossible. Plus, a secret about Katelyn, which she isn't even aware of, could make the situation a whole lot worse.) _

**(Author's Note: Hey! So, this is my very first fanfiction, and I'm really excited about it. I'm not really sure if it's going to have much of a plot. I'm kinda just writing what I planned out then when that's done I'll probably just make it up as I go along . Um, it's only rated T for language. I don't want to be the source of children using curse words; I'd feel a bit guilty for that ha-ha. Reviews and constructive criticism are very welcome. Anything you guys think might help me would be awesome! Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoy. :D)**

* * *

Katelyn O'Doherty; It was always Katelyn. She was the reason he was now laying in the hospital wing. If it wasn't damn Harry Potter, it was always her… What a waste to come back to Hogwarts for the Eighth Year program if only two and a half weeks after the first day, he'd be in a hospital bed because of O'Doherty. His stupid enemy that lived down the street, the one his mother loves so much for some odd reason.

Draco Malfoy really should have known better though. You see, this situation had started a few days ago. He had approached the short dark-haired brunette at breakfast as she was discussing a Potions essay with Hermione Granger. _'Strange_,' he thought, '_a Pureblood Slytherin talking to a Mudblood_ _Gryffindore._' "Disgusting," he muttered under his breath. As Hermione saw him approaching, she said a hasty good bye and scampered off. Katelyn was now standing there in the middle of the Great Hall all alone. It would only be too easy to taunt her with no one there to stick up for her. She was way too nice; couldn't hurt a thing, even if her life depended on it.

"Morning O'Doherty," he said with a smirk as she sighed and turned to face him. "Where have your friends gone, Ugly Duck? My, my, what true friends are they to run off when trouble comes a-calling?"

"Leave me alone, Draco."

"Aw, what's the matter? Tired of being perfect Little Miss Prissy Pureblood? Come on now, that's no reason to be down!"

"I'm serious, Draco. Please, just go away."

He pondered that sentence for a second. They hated each other; that was no secret, and it was very unnerving when she called him 'Draco' instead of 'Malfoy', like everyone else did. Even more so peculiar, was the fact that she asked him to '_please_ go away'. She said 'please'. That was something he really hated her for. She was always so nice to everyone, and that is no exaggeration. She was too polite for her own good. At least Potter was a good enemy. He never said 'please' or called him 'Draco'. But then again, he never really hated him like he hated O'Doherty. He had a true reason to despise her; with Potter it was just because he befriended the Weasel and not him. On the subject of Potter, he realized they hadn't spoken to each other since the year before in the Room of Requirement. Not a single word…or even a sneer.

Coming out of his reverie, he heard O'Doherty huff an annoyed sigh, and looked up to see her walking away. He ran a few steps and grabbed her elbow. She wasn't getting away that easy.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy! Get your hands off me!" Now people were staring and her friends were coming over. _'God dammit'_, he thought as she jerked her arm from his grasp. This was the last thing he needed. He composed himself in time for her lot to get there. Finnegan, Lovegood, Longbottom, and the Weaslette along with Granger who was dragging a very unsure looking Potter and a Weasley that looked like he'd rather be anywhere else than helping a Slytherin, along behind her, were now there and angry looking. Her very Irish and very protective boyfriend was the first to speak, or yell, rather.

"Oi! What do ya think yer doin' puttin' yer hands on me girl?"

Draco was quick to answer. "Well I wouldn't have had to if she hadn't stalked off. I was just making small talk. Yes, I was just asking how her N.E.W.T.s went." Feeling very proud of himself, he smirked and crossed his arms.

Now the whole Great Hall was watching. "Oh, what a bloody lie!" she yelled. It was quite interesting, hearing her voice go from British to Irish like that. Since she lived in Ireland until she was seven, then moved to Wiltshire (just down the street from Malfoy Manor), she could speak with both accents perfectly. As interesting as it may be, it was not a good sign. She only spoke with an Irish accent when she was really angry. She may have been the nicest Slytherin, or person even, at Hogwarts, but she could have a really horrid temper if you were stupid enough to find it. Draco knew that this would not end well.

Then her angry scowl turned into an evil twisted smile. "But since you asked just now, you should know that they went quite well."

'_That's it?_' he thought.

She opened her mouth again.

'_Shit._'

"Then again, it would have been much easier to study during the holidays if I hadn't been locked in your god damned cellar. It really is dark down there." Her smile became even more demented as the Great Hall erupted with gasps and whispers. "What? You didn't tell anyone? Dear me, this should be fixed." She then stood on a table to announce, "Malfoy Manor acted as a meeting place for the Deatheaters! Every attack, every capture, and every murder was planned right inside his home," She said pointing at Draco who was frozen with shock. "And it doesn't stop there. It was also the hideout for the Dark Lord." The whispers became shouts and a few younger children shrieked. "Of course, as some of you may know, I'm very close to Draco's dear mum, and I accidently stumbled upon this information. His parents trusted me, but his Auntie Bella didn't. She had me locked in their cellar during the holidays and kept under close watch of the Carrows whilst I was here." She hopped down and faced the very frightened Draco Malfoy. "But anyway. Yes, I suppose the exams were okay."

Draco stood motionless for a moment, but recovered. "Really? Were you parents proud when you told them your results?" Her triumphant smile faltered at the mention of her parents. "You know, your Deatheater parents, who upon the Dark Lord's return, turned themselves in to Azkaban to protect their precious daughter from the dark arts. They left you all alone just three years ago. It was really quite amusing when Mother came home and told Father and I about how you were crying and yelling and sobbing the day they said good-bye and were taken away to jail. She felt really horrible. She was very concerned you might….hurt yourself." Her arms tightened at her sides and she was no longer smiling. Katelyn was now stony faced and trembling.

Draco continued. "What a waste your parents were. They were a disgrace to the Deatheaters, turning themselves in like that. But there was a bigger disgrace…"

"Don't say a word against my parents! How dare you speak of them like that?"

He looked up to see that she had started crying, silent tears were rolling down her face. Even if it was O'Doherty, he couldn't stand it when people cried. It reminded him of… well, bad things, but he couldn't just stop there. The teachers were coming down to see what was going on. He had to finish up quickly. "You. How can a girl with parents like that not turn out the same way? You're a disgrace to the family. They must have been so disappointed. Your parents probably acted like they loved you..." he said walking towards her. "But I bet on the inside, they were waiting for just the right moment to disown you. Not even my mum would take you then."

That had done it. She pulled out her wand almost too quickly for Draco, and as McGonagall asked what was going on, Katelyn yelled over her.

"Petrificus totalus!"

But Draco was fast and cast a protego. The hex ricocheted and was soaring straight for the window behind the staff table. The screams started before it hit. Everyone ran for cover before the spell crashed. It was a sight to see really. All of the glass shattered but stayed in the frame.

"Students, McGonagall called, "Is everyone alright?"

The frequency of her high pitched voice got to the extremely cracked window and a very tiny creaking noise could be heard. Someone yelled, "Hit the deck!" as the shattered glass came crashing down. Flitwick acted first and froze the shards in mid-air. "Return to your Common Rooms, quickly!" he yelled.

Everyone ran out of the Great Hall except for two students that were being dragged down to the Headmistress's office by some invisible force.

* * *

"That is it! I'm not even going to ask what that was about this time! Never, in all my time teaching here, has an argument been this disastrous!" McGonagall let the door slam as she marched in, a scowl on her face.

"Professor," Draco said," I'd hate to be as rude as to interrupt what I'm sure will be a very good lecture, but seeing as it was O'Doherty's dangerous curse that broke the window, I really don't understand why I need to be here." He sat up, a sweet smile on his face, feigning innocence. Katelyn rolled her eyes. He looked disgusting and pathetic.

"Well, thank you very much Mr. Malfoy, but before coming here I spoke with a few students who witnessed the entire quarrel. I'm very glad the fights with Mr. Potter have stopped, but that does not mean you should continue terrorizing other students." Draco frowned and slouched back into his chair. "Now, do either of you have anything to say for yourselves?"

Silence…then-

"I'm really sorry Professor." Katelyn had her head down but looked up then to continue. "I've been trying really hard to control my temper since last year, when I put that leg-locker on Johnny, but it's been really hard." She looked close to tears. It made Draco wonder what happened to the kid and why she was so upset about it. McGonagall seemed to have sympathy for her.

"Yes, I know dear, but," she sat down at her desk and grabbed a quill, "desperate times call for desperate measures."

Draco sat bolt up in his chair. "You aren't writing to my mother are you? If she finds out I had another fight with O'Doherty, she'll have my head!"

"Oooh! Please write to his mum!" Katelyn squealed as Draco shot her a daring glare.

"That is exactly what I am doing. Since both of you are under her care, I must write to inform her that I will be using the Civilus Rivalsio charm on the two of you."

Draco looked confused. "The what?"

"Seriously?" Katelyn sighed at him. "'Civilus Rivalsio'…. It means 'civil rivals'. She's going to use it so we'll stop fighting."

He didn't look happy at this. "What? I'm not going to be put under a spell that makes me frolic around with my rivals!"

"Mr. Malfoy, I'm afraid you don't have a choice. A Ministry Official will come on Tuesday the 15th, that's three days from now, to perform the spell. And both of you will agree to it. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Headmistress," they said in unison.

"Good, then you may go."

As they got up to leave McGonagall spoke again.

"Oh and…do try not to kill each other before that day"

Draco looked slightly offended, but Katelyn turned around and saw the small smile on her Headmistress's face before the door shut on its own.


	2. Chapter 2

**(AN: Hello again! How's the first chapter? Reviews and constructive criticism are very welcome! I realize Katelyn's last name is a little strange. So, in case you were wondering how to pronounce it, it's like O-dah-her-tee. Hope you like the next chapter. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

The walk back to the Eighth Year Common Room was a quiet one. That was, until, they got back to the Entrance Hall, where the door to the Common Room was. The door was massive, made of mahogany, and had the Hogwarts crest on it. To get inside, you had to use your wand and tap the houses on the crest in a certain order and then tap the H in the middle. If done correctly, the door would swing open, but if not, you would be completely drenched with water.

"You can be really terrible sometimes, you know that? Really, if I had been thinking right, I wouldn't have come anywhere near you. I'd forgotten how mean you can be," Draco stated as they made their way down the stairs. He was talking to himself more than anything, but she answered anyway.

"Yes, I realize how terrible I am, the problem with you is that you never think right, and I'm only mean if you really deserve it," she said quickly as she took out her wand to open the door.

Draco put out his arm to stop her. "Who is Johnny and what happened to him?" he asked.

"Truth for a truth?"

"Alright," he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.

"Why don't you fight with Harry anymore?"

Draco's eyes widened at the randomness of her. It was kind of a personal matter, but he wanted to know about Johnny. "I asked you first," he said accusingly.

"Yeah, well, I don't exactly trust you very much…"

"Smart girl….Alright, I don't mock or bully him anymore because… well, he sort of saved my life last year….um, twice…" He expected her to snigger or laugh, but she just looked at him, her eyes with a glint of both understanding and pity. He sighed with indifference, _'Why am I even telling you this?' _he thought.

"Hmm," she mumbled as she tapped the crest houses in alphabetical order.

Draco put out his arm again. "You didn't answer my question."

"I don't want to answer that particular question. Ask another."

He thought for a moment, and then responded, "Why are you so nice to me? You hate me, don't you? So, why don't you show it like my other foes?"

"Technically, that's three questions, but I guess they go hand in hand. First of all, I don't believe you have 'foes', I think you have petty childhood grudges with some people, including me. But to answer your question, I'm not mean to you because I don't want to be."

Draco looked confused.

Katelyn sighed," I don't hate you Draco. I really don't see a reason to." Then she tapped the H on the crest and the door swung open, leaving Draco alone in the hall, mulling over her foreign words.

* * *

Before the door shut, Katelyn turned around to see Draco walking away, back up the stairs. She looked around the crowded room trying to find her friends. As she was scanning the room, she felt easily 30 pairs of eyes on her. Everyone wanted to know what had happened, which she didn't mind. She broke the Great Hall; they'd be mad to not be curious.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a fellow Slytherin coming toward her. She needed to get away fast or she'd be told off and criticized for attempting to hurt their beloved Slytherin Prince, and then most likely accused of murdering him and stuffing him in a broom cupboard since he wasn't here. Just in time, she saw her friends in a corner, huddled together.

She could tell as she was walking over that Ron was whisper-scolding Hermione with a concerned look on his face. Katelyn knew why. Ron has never trusted her, and has always had a grudge against her because she is a Slytherin. She didn't mind though; she understood how the other Slytherins were, and that Ron just needed time. But then again, she had been friends with Hermione since she stood up to a group of Sixth Year Slytherins who were harassing Hermione in their third year. If five years wasn't enough time to cope with their friendship, what was? And it was awfully bothersome to have Ron scrutinizing her; waiting for her to slip up so he could tell Hermione how evil she was. However, Katelyn was not going to detest him just because of his own beliefs.

As she approached, Ron stopped whispering and stood up. "I, uh…. I gotta go…" he said awkwardly, his face starting to turn red as he strode off into the boys' dorm.

"So… How did it go?" Hermione asked timidly.

"Fine," Katelyn replied, trying to hide her smile as she sat down.

Neville retorted, "Fine? What do you mean fine? You are the sweetest girl in this entire school! And you just lost your temper, revealed perilous secrets, attacked Malfoy, and then shattered the window in the Great Hall! How could everything be fine?"

"Yeah," Seamus said, "How much trouble are ya in?"

Katelyn chuckled, "None. I'm not in any trouble."

Harry spoke up. "Really? What about Malfoy? I've never seen him so angry or shocked or well…anything, he really doesn't show emotion does he? But really, he looked furious that you announced to the whole school what the Malfoy Manor was."

"He's not in trouble either," she said, laughing at the baffled looks on the group's faces. "What good is punishing us if we're just going to brawl again right? We're always going to dislike each other. That won't change on its own. So, McGonagall is going to have someone from the Ministry come on Tuesday to perform the—"

"Civilus Rivalsio charm," Hermione interjected, looking worried.

"Right," Katelyn said, "What's the matter? Is that bad?"

"Well, not exactly, bad, but it's a really troublesome and complicated spell. No one has used it in ages because there are about a million things that can go wrong. It used to be cast a lot but the Ministry banned it for some time because wizards were messing it up and causing mayhem. Out of all the times it's been used, it's only been done correctly once. If something goes wrong on Tuesday, the outcome could be ghastly."

Katelyn took the information in. "Right," she said slowly. "Well in that case, let's hope for the best then." But really, on the inside, she was hysterical. She made her way back to the Common Room door. She had to go somewhere to relax.

"Hey!" Neville called, "Where are you going?"

"Where I always go," she answered as she strolled out into the Entrance Hall.

* * *

She found herself outside of Professor Flitwick's office, as she usually did when she was stressed. Knocking three times, she heard him say to come in.

"You want the key to the music wing, I presume?" he asked with a small smile.

Katelyn nodded, and with a flick of his wand the all too familiar silver key was flying to her.  
"Thank you, Professor," she said turning to leave, "and, I am really sorry about the window."

"Oh it's quite all right, an easy fix," he said in his squeaky voice, "and don't forget there is a choir practice tomorrow at 11."

"Of course, Sir," she said before closing the door and taking the habitual route to the abandoned Music Wing. It was the only place she was able to completely unwind and let the music flow through her blood. It was her one single escape.


	3. Chapter 3

**(AN: Hey! Thanks for the reviews. Constructive criticism is very truly welcome.** **Um, basically, I do not own any bands, artists, lyrics, companies, brands (etc. etc. blah blah blah…) that I might mention in this chapter or the chapters to come. Thought I'd just say that now so I don't forget. Haha :)** **Hope you're enjoying the story. Thanks for reading!)**

* * *

"A, d, g, c. A sharp? No, just an a…" Katelyn thought out loud as she sat at a piano trying to remember the notes for her favorite Christmas carol so she wouldn't have to get up and find the sheet music for it. She then realized how weird she must look, playing a Christmas song in the middle of September, but whatever. It wasn't her fault if the tune was always stuck in her head. She sighed and gave up on trying to hark back the note names. She would have to get up and find the sheet for it, but decided against it upon seeing all of the boxes of sheet music stacked against the walls. There had to be close to a hundred boxes. Even if she knew where it was, it would take ages to find it, and she'd just make a mess using a summing spell.

Feeling incredibly exhausted suddenly, Katelyn laid her head down on the piano and closed her eyes. _'Maybe I could just sleep here straight through Tuesday.'_ Since Hermione's warning about what might happen on that day, she had been feeling antsy and worried. Which was why she was now in the music wing trying to soothe her nerves, but it wasn't working that well. She hated to think what could go wrong.

'_Maybe I could just go home. It'd be nice to be in the company of Bernard and Binky._' Katelyn smiled at the thought of Bernard, her very unique albino peacock with dazzling emerald green eyes, and Binky, her good-natured and very sweet house elf. They were both gifts to her from Narcissa Malfoy. When her parents were taken to Azkaban, Katelyn was left all alone in the O'Doherty Manor at only 15. So, Narcissa gave her one of the Malfoys' own house elves and the white bird to give her company, and to show her that she was there for her. She smiled; Cissy was always there for her.

Katelyn wondered right then, Narcissa has always had a soft spot for her. It was odd, being fussed over like she was her own daughter. But it was hard to complain, she enjoyed all the company she could have; it was awfully lonely in Wiltshire at times, and Cissy was a much better companion than Draco. She had been particularly keen on Katelyn and her family since they moved in when she was seven. She figured that was the reason Draco hated her. His own mother gave the neighbor's daughter almost as much attention as she gave him. _'It's no surprise he's so loathsome to me,' _she thought.

At that moment, she heard footsteps echoing down the deserted hall and looked up to see her best friend walk into the choir room.

"Hi Luna," she said, attempting a smile.

"Hello Katie. Hermione told me about what happened. I figured you would be apprehensive and that I would find you here."

"Well, you figured right," Katelyn replied. She got up and walked to the door where Luna was still standing. "I assume you came to drag me back to civilization?"

"If you mean that I came to bring you to dinner, then yes. You do have a strange way of saying things."

This earned a smile from Katelyn. "Let's go then," she said.

* * *

Dinner was definitely an experience. Katelyn was sitting at the Gryffindor table as she usually did since the other Slytherins didn't seem to like her all that much. She had barely touched her food. She just sat there staring at her plate, feeling the whole school staring at her, and then turning to stare at the Slytherin table, where Draco could not be found sitting. Hermione kept giving her nervous glances and the rest of the school was just pain staring. Except the Slytherins, of course, who were all glaring daggers at her. She had to admit, though; it did seem suspicious. No one but her had seen Draco since the fight this morning. Nevertheless, she wouldn't be able to take the insanity much longer.

"I'm gonna go for a walk," she said abruptly, standing up.

"We can come with you," Hermione said. She shut the Herbology book she had been looking at with Neville.

"Yeah," he agreed. "We don't mind."

This wasn't exactly what Katelyn wanted. "Oh no, really. It's fine. I um, I just need some quiet, I think," she said and walked away before any of them could counter her. Ron made a face that seemed to give the impression of 'good riddance.'

At the same time she was walking out of the Great Hall, a group of four, very triumphant looking, Seventh Year Ravenclaw boys were walking in. They looked, if possible, more high and mighty than usual, and they all smiled at her as if they expected a prize of some sort, before sitting down at their table. She rolled her eyes and laughed in spite of herself; she would never be able to understand Ravenclaw boys.

She took a left turn and made her way up the Entrance Hall stairs, letting her mind zone out so she could become nice and lost. Thinking less and less with each step, she absentmindedly found herself in a corridor she'd never seen before. But she wasn't alone. Katelyn could distinctly hear what sounded like someone cursing under their breath. _'So much for spending the rest of my Saturday alone.' _She thought. Listening more closely, she crept closer to the sound and could now hear what seemed to be someone hissing in pain. Katelyn turned the corner to find a very battered looking, bruised, and bloody Draco Malfoy.

"Draco! What in Merlin's name happened?"

"Oh God, not you. Go on. Get out of here!"

"No! I demand you tell me what happened to you."

"Oh, wow. A demand from O'Doherty. I better listen to her or I could be in _so_ much trouble," he remarked sarcastically.

"Draco!" she shot back warningly.

"Ugh. Fine! You want to know what happened? Well since Slytherin's fairy princess was able to beat up Malfoy, apparently, everyone else is able to do it too!"

"What? But I didn't—"

"Beat me up? Yeah, I know! But try telling that to those bloody Ravenclaws!"

"Wait. Ravenclaws? You mean that group of Seventh Years?"

"Yes! Why the hell do you care?"

"So that's why they were acting strange," she muttered to herself.

"You know what? Fuck this! I'm going to bed!" Draco yelled as he tried to stand up, but he was too weak and simply fell onto the floor again.

"We've got to get you to the hospital wing. It's not too far from here I think. I've never been down this way before, so I'm really not sure but –"

"No! I'm not going there! I want to go to bed!"

"But, Draco, you're really hurt and –"

"I can fix it myself! Now leave before you get hurt too!" he snarled as Katelyn took a few steps back. She recognized the anger he displayed as the same type of violent rage that resulted in their many fist-fights when they were younger. She knew better than to argue any further.

"Fine," she said, but before she turned to leave, she took out her wand.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked as a metal something appeared and land on the floor in front of him.

"It's a Muggle contraption called a 'walker'," she stated plainly. "Since you insist on being so stubborn, you'll need this to help you walk until you heal your wounds."

"What? I'm not using a –" Draco started to defy her, but stopped when he saw the warning look he was receiving from Katelyn who then turned and walked away. He gave a sigh of defeat and, with much difficulty, got himself standing upright using the walker. _'Hm, it does help,' _he thought. Then, with reluctance, he made his way down to the hospital wing.

* * *

"Really! Oh my God, is he okay?" Hermione asked.

Katelyn was in her Common Room with her friends, and had just told them what had happened to Draco. "Yeah, I think so. He said that he was going to bed, but it would've taken a while because of the state he was in. I came directly back here and haven't seen him since. So, I'm guessing he went down to Madame Pomfrey."

"Serves him right," Ron said coldly. "We put up with his taunts for years, then saved his life twice. He didn't even thank us."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Ronald! This is no time to act like a child or to discuss this. For all you know, he could be seriously injured!"

"Good! Maybe now we won't have to deal with him anymore."

Just then, the door opened and a very healthy looking Draco walked in. He walked over to the group but didn't come closer than a few feet away.

"Pomfrey wanted to keep the walker. Said it was helpful and might come in handy." Was all he said before heading to the boys' dormitories.


	4. Chapter 4

**(AN: Hey hey! How's the story so far? :) I'm starting to use some random British words and insults and such. If you aren't sure what one means, go to , most of them are in the Insults list. Hope that helps. :) As always, reviews and constructive criticism are very welcome. Thanks for reading!)**

* * *

Katelyn was laying in bed on Monday night. Well, less of lying and more of tossing and turning. After highly misjudging how far she was from the edge of the bed, she rolled out and fell onto the floor with a loud thump.

"Wah! Ow! Ugh…dammit…"

"Katelyn?" Hermione's voice rang out through the pitch black room. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Can't sleep though. I'm gonna go down to Madame Pomfrey." She got off the floor and grabbed her wand from the bedside table and cast a tempus. 2:07

"Okay. Well, goodnight."

"G'Night." Katelyn felt a pillow collide with the back of her head. She picked it up and chucked it back at the bed it came from. "'Night Pansy." She heard Pansy huff an irritated sigh and reposition her pillows.

She waited until the door was shut behind her, and then lit her wand as she walked the few feet over to the boys' dorm. Katelyn pounded on the door loudly trying to wake someone up. She could hear muffled voices, but it was still a couple minutes before Seamus and Neville opened the door.

"Who the he – Oh, hello, Love," Seamus said before kissing his girlfriend on the cheek.

"Yeah, hi," she said quickly.

He snorted. "Nice to see you too."

"What's up?" Neville asked.

"Can you get Harry for me? I need to borrow something."

"Yeah, sure," he said, and went back inside to wake Harry.

"What's the matter?" Seamus asked.

"Can't sleep. I'm gonna go down to Madame Pomfrey and get a Sleeping Draught."

"Nerves keepin' you awake?"

"You bet."

"Don't worry. I'm sure everything will be fine tomorrow."

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of a pillow repeatedly hitting something. Someone grumbled, "All right…all right! I'm up, Neville. Merlin's beard…" and soon harry stumbled into view as Neville and Seamus went back inside.

"Hi. You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Can't sleep, so I'm gonna go down to Madame Pomfrey for a Sleeping Draught and –"

"Hey! Shut up! It's two in the morning!" a familiar voice yelled from inside.

Katelyn rolled her eyes. "So I've noticed. Go back to sleep, Blaise."

"I would if I could!" he countered.

She turned her attention back to Harry. "Anyway, I was wondering if I could the map. I don't exactly fancy a run-in with Mrs. Norris."

"Oh. Yeah, of course," he said as he summoned the map from his trunk and handed it to her.

"Thank you so much,"

"No problem. Sleep well."

"Well, I will soon, I hope. 'Night."

She heard the door close and Blaise shout, "Finally." Katelyn made her way out into the Entrance Hall.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." A close look at the map showed her that Mrs. Norris was in the third floor corridor, nowhere near the hospital wing, and it looked like she was asleep. "Mischief Managed. Nox."

* * *

"I'm not surprised to see you here, Dear," Madame Pomfrey said while rummaging through a cabinet of phials. "You and Draco are being put under the Civilus Rivalsio spell tomorrow. I heard Minerva talking to Horace about it. Awfully complex, that spell is. You know, one time I met someone who had been put under the spell incorrectly. It wasn't a pleasant sight to see. He was – Oh, here it is," she said, handing Katelyn a phial of Sleeping Draught.

"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey, goodnight." She hurried out the door, having absolutely no intention of hearing the rest of that story. She checked the map again to see that the coast was clear and went back to the Entrance Hall. The Common Room was pitch-black, and in the darkness and confusion of the room, she ran head-on into someone.

"Ow! Ugh… Lumos." She lit her wand to see Draco glaring at her and rubbing his forehead. "Oh…sorry."

"What the hell are you doing up O'Doherty? It's almost 3:00!"

"Well, I could ask you the same," she stated boldly as she got up and marched into the girls' dorm. She hadn't spoken a word to Draco since Saturday, and she really wasn't in any mood to deal with him now, either. She set her wand down on her bedside table and put the map on Hermione's. She'd get it to Harry in the morning.

Katelyn took out the Sleeping Draught and studied it for a moment, thinking of how thankful she was for magic. She downed the potion in one gulp before crawling into bed and falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

Katelyn woke the next morning to find the entire girls' dormitory empty except for her. There was a note floating above her head.

_'Took the map back to Harry. Hope you slept well. Love, Hermione.'_

She looked at her alarm clock and realized she had missed breakfast and one of her classes.

"Oh, bollocks!" she shouted as she tumbled out of bed and ran to her trunk. She was searching for her shoes when she remembered it was Tuesday the 15th. McGonagall wanted Draco and her well rested and stress free, so she excused them from their morning classes.

Instead of wearing her uniform, she put on a dark pair of jeans, black converse, and a Rolling Stones t-shirt. She was half way to the Common Room door when a drawling voice stopped her.

"Where are you off to O'Doherty?"

She turned and found Draco, still in his pajamas, laying on one of the couches.

"Well, I was going to go down to the kitchens and get some food."

"It's no use. The elves are on break; there won't be anything," he said as he sat up correctly. "I already tried."

"Ugh, seriously? I'm so hungry…. Oh, I know!" she ran into the girls' dorm and returned a moment later with a bag of sweets from Honeydukes. She flopped onto the couch across from Draco's, thoroughly enjoying the fact that she wouldn't have to starve until lunch.

"The Rolling Stones?" Draco asked, staring at her shirt as he took a chocolate frog.

"What? Oh, yeah. My shirt. They're a Muggle band."

"I know who they are, Divvy… I just didn't think you'd like that type of band."

"Well, yeah. I like them. Why would I buy the shirt if I didn't – …. Wait. How is that you, Pureblood, Draco Malfoy, the 'Prince of Slytherin', know who the Rolling Stones are?"

Draco sighed. "Well, it seems Mother has taken a liking to the Muggle world all of a sudden. It's a bit strange, really."

"No it isn't"

"What?"

"Well, you know that I have absolutely no problem with Muggles. I mean, my house is full of Muggle stuff… well, anyway. Sometimes when we'd go shopping together, I'd take her to a Muggle store. She could always find a bunch of things she loved, but wouldn't buy them; always for the same reason," she said while searching through a box of every-flavor beans.

"And what reason would that be?" Draco asked, helping himself to more candy.

Katelyn looked up. "Your dad, of course. How do you think he'd feel if Cissy came home with an electronic television or redecorated your sitting room entirely with Muggle furnishings? He'd see that and go completely mental. It'd be his one way ticket to St. Mungo's."

Draco nodded. "Yeah. I guess that is a good point…"

"Exactly."

"Hmm..…"

"What?"

"So you're the reason my mother is so interested in Muggles now…"

"Uh-oh."

He picked up a large throw pillow and hurled it at Katelyn as hard as he could. He succeeded in knocking her off the couch.

"AGH! Bugger! All right, okay. God, Draco, don't be such a wally! You know? Live and let live. Broaden your mind!" she said trying to get back up, but only managing to trip on the pillow and fall down again.

Despite how much Draco disliked her, he couldn't help but guffaw at her telling him to 'broaden his mind', and her falling on her face again only made his laughing fit worse. "'Broaden your mind'? My god! You sound like Trelawney!" he said in between gasps for air from laughing too hard.

Katelyn made a face of mock-offence and held up a dainty hand to cover her mouth, which was in the perfect shape of an O. "You know what?" she asked, badly hiding a giggle.

"What?"

"I don't have to take this… Nope!"

Draco could tell she was joking. She was smiling and still had a perfect British accent. "What?"

"No. Not one bit. I do not have to take this from you," she stated, trying not to chuckle as she threw the pillow back at Draco and "stormed" out of the room.

"Oh. Come on!"

"Don't forget," she called before leaving," we have to be at McGonagall's office at 1:30!"

"I know! Where are you going?"

"Elsewhere."

"Okay. Have a nice time!"

"I will!"

Draco snorted as the door slammed shut. He was attempting to control his laughter when he realized, that was the nicest they had been to each other in years. The last time was when they were 11 and their parents had taken them on a camping trip as a going away treat. Katelyn's father, Rory, thought that it would be fun to have a 'no-magic' camping trip. He convinced his wife, Deirdre, and Narcissa. They thought it was a wonderful idea, so Lucius had no choice but to leave his wand alone. Disaster struck everywhere the magicless Lucius went. After being bitten by bugs for the millionth time, he lost it and tried to use an Incendio to kill the bugs. However, he only succeeded in setting his robes on fire. He then ran into the lake to extinguish the flames. When he trudged back out of the water, there were at least five fish stuck in his robes. Draco and Katelyn spent the rest of the trip together and made fun of him about it when he was out of earshot.

Still in the Common Room, Draco ate her last chocolate frog, smiling to himself. Maybe it was because later, he would have to be nice to her because of the spell. He still despised her now, of course, but, mulling over what had just happened; for just a moment, he thought that…. Maybe being kind to her wouldn't be as dreadful as he thought it would be.


	5. Chapter 5

1:30. Draco was standing outside of McGonagall's office…alone. He had conveniently ruined his good mood by remembering every fight he had ever had with O'Doherty. Pansy had spent the entire period of lunch fretting about how dangerous the Civilus Rivalsio spell was. So, she didn't do much to help his ill disposition… And now, O'Doherty was late. He was just about to go find her when she came darting around the corner. She didn't look much happier than Draco. Actually, she looked really pissed off. She was nearly running down the hall, pulling on her robes over her uniform; she took a spare hair clip from her pocket and pinned her side-bangs back.

Even from a distance, Draco could tell she was muttering angrily to herself. As she approached, he could make out random words such as 'Ronald,' 'ego,' 'prejudiced wanker,' and "keep his gob shut.'

"Damn, O'Doherty. What's up your arse?" He was at least expecting a snarky, sarcastic remark, but she just glared fiercely at him. He knew better than to say anymore.

"Piss off, Malfoy," she murmured.

Draco turned and watched her curiously as she stared intently at the gargoyle, waiting for it to move. She had just called him 'Malfoy', and one look told him why. O'Doherty looked like she could punch a hole in a brick wall, and that she would break down sobbing any second. '_So much for being stress free,_' Draco thought.

Just then, the gargoyle leapt out of the way. Madame Pomfrey was standing on the other side. "Well, come on now," she said, beckoning them towards the stairs. "We don't have all day."

On the way up the twisting staircase, Draco kept stealing glances at Katelyn. Her face was completely unreadable. It was a strange mask to see her put on, but then again, she's always been a remarkable actress.

"Wait here, I'll tell Professor McGonagall that you're here," Madame Pomfrey said walking into the Headmistress's office. As soon as the door shut, Katelyn took out an extendable ear.

"Croaker? He's an Unspeakable. Well, now we know something that they do," she whispered.

"What's that?"

"Performing dangerous and potentially lethal spells," she said calmly.

"Lethal? No one said anything about fatalities!"

She only shrugged, and put the ear away.

The door swung open and they stepped inside. They were greeted by a tall, tan man with dark brown hair. He had a deep voice, and because of the quietness of it, Katelyn could tell he was anxious.

McGonagall walked over to the man and handed him two blindfolds and two earmuffs.

"Why?" Draco asked.

"This is very serious and temperamental magic, Mr. Malfoy. I trust the two of you, but I cannot risk anyone trying to attempt this spell."

The tall man, who insisted on going by the name of Brian Smith, tied the blindfolds around their heads, spending a very long time making sure their eyes were completely covered. He began to give them instructions. "All right. Now stand back to back and link arms, there you go. Now, takes hands… yes, very good, very good. Okay…and, if I were you, I'd think of something cheerful. This will sting a bit." He put their earmuffs on and stood back.

Draco could hear a muffled voice for a moment before he felt an odd pain coursing through his veins. It lingered for a long time in the center of his brain. His sight became white and fuzzy and he felt as though he would be sick. Then, as quickly as it came, the pain vanished, and everything went black as he felt his head hit the floor.

* * *

Draco woke up to find his mother leaning over him. He looked to his left and saw O'Doherty, lying in a bed asleep.

"Unconscious," Narcissa said. "The two of you have been unconscious since Tuesday. She still is… It's Friday the 18th now." She reached out and hugged him tightly. "I've been so worried, no one has had any idea of when you two would wake." She released him as Madame Pomfrey came running over with a bottle of something.

"Pain reliever," she said. "Do you feel any pain?"

"No."

"Oh, all right then." She set the bottle down and went over to Katelyn to see if there was any chance of stirring her awake. He could hear his mother speaking to McGonagall in hushed voices. They sounded unsure or scared. Something was wrong. Of course, something was wrong.

Katelyn O'Doherty; It was always Katelyn. She was the reason he was now laying in the hospital wing. If it wasn't damn Harry Potter, it was always her… What a waste to come back to Hogwarts for the Eighth Year program if only two and a half weeks after the first day, he'd be in a hospital bed because of O'Doherty. His stupid enemy that lived down the street, the one his mother loves so much for some odd reason.

The doors opened and in came Pansy, Blaise, Goyle, and Theo Nott, followed at a respectable distance by Finnegan, Lovegood, Granger, Longbottom, Potter, and the two Weasleys. This must have been a usual thing. He figured classes had just ended by the lighting outside.

Pansy squealed loudly and ran over to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Katelyn's lot looked very forlorn that she wasn't awake. Well, almost everyone did. The Weasel looked almost glad that she was half-dead. Draco remembered that he was the reason that O'Doherty was so angry on Tuesday, and it made Draco angry. He wanted to know what the hell he had said to her. _'Wait. What? Since when am I concerned for O'Doherty?'_

"Draco!"

"Huh? What?"

He realized Pansy had been talking to him. "I asked 'How long have you been awake?'"

"Oh, um, only a few minutes, actually."

Blaise looked over at Katelyn. "She hasn't woken up yet?" he asked, very badly trying to hide the concern in his voice.

Draco had to concentrate very hard on not snorting at his best mate. Blaise was the only Slytherin Draco knew who didn't loathe O'Doherty. He was almost convinced that he might have some sort of "thing" for her, but it was very unlikely. Blaise was just an understanding and accepting person…sometimes.

"No, but she might soon. You never know."

"Right," he said, almost lingering over to her bed.

It was as if Draco's words were a spell of their own because at that moment Katelyn woke. Her friends cheered except for Weasley. He looked disappointed, and then almost disgusted as Cissy came over and hugged her.

As soon as she woke, Draco felt a rush of emotions. Shock, apprehensiveness, and happiness all up until the point when he saw his mother run over to her. He thought it was weird because the feelings didn't feel complete, almost foreign, as if they weren't his. It was especially strange, because he didn't even know she was up until Blaise went over and stood next to Narcissa, but he felt them before he knew she was conscious. Draco was very convinced that these emotions were not his own, but that would be impossible.

After a few minutes, Madame Pomfrey shooed their friends out and retreated into her office. McGonagall and Narcissa walked over slowly and carefully, like they were trying to walk near a young deer and not scare it off. 'Here comes the bad news,' Draco thought.

McGonagall cleared her throat. "We are not fully sure what happened on Tuesday, but we do know what has happened because of it," she paused, "but first, we should see if the spell had any, eh, positive effect…" she turned to Draco. "Do you feel any differently towards Miss O'Doherty? Anything at all?"

He shrugged. "No, I still despise her," he answered truthfully.

"Oh, my….and you?" she asked, turning to Katelyn, who shook her head.

She didn't seem to like this news. "Oh… oh dear…"

Draco looked over to O'Doherty. She seemed strangely calm. He figured she wasn't going to speak up, so he might as well. "Professor? What exactly has happened to us?"

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, it seems that you and Miss O'Doherty have been, if you will, 'linked together' by a number of various magical bonds."

"What do you mean 'linked together', Professor?" Katelyn asked curiously.

"Well, I suppose I mean just that. The two of you have been mentally bonded."

Draco sat up like a bullet. "What? How many bonds? How do you know?"

"Tuesday evening, you were taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Several tests confirmed what we feared might have happened. They've had many similar to yours, but, that's the problem; no two cases are ever the same. There is very little we can be certain of."

Draco was losing his patience. He looked to his mother, but she only looked at him warningly. He became lost in his thoughts; trying to take the information in. He distantly heard O'Doherty's voice ask what they could be certain of. He could feel the concern in her voice. _'Feel? No, I can hear the concern…how can I feel her concern?'_

"Draco!" He heard his mother's voice and snapped out of his daze. "Pay attention."

McGonagall cleared her throat again. "As I was saying, there is only one definite result of the bond that your tests have proven. The two of you will now be able to feel the other's emotions. But, that isn't the last of my worries…. In some of the other cases at St. Mungo's, if the two people were away for a long, or even short, period of time, they would…fall ill." She eyed them timidly, as if expecting one of them to collapse again. What happened was the exact opposite.

"What a load of codswallop!" Draco shouted as he stomped out the door. His mother called after him, but quickly turned her attention to Katelyn, who was suddenly feeling weak.

Draco ran down the stairs, fuming, angrier with himself than anything. He shouldn't have stormed off like that. As soon as he left, he had gotten a dull headache, which was now turning into a migraine, and he was starting to feel as if he had a fever.

Something wasn't right. He turned abruptly and went back to the hospital wing. When he neared, his migraine dulled to a regular headache and his fever-like symptoms went away. As soon as he opened the door, his illnesses completely disappeared.

Madame Pomfrey, McGonagall and his mother were all huddled around Katelyn's bed. She was holding her hand to her head as if she were in great pain. When the doors shut behind Draco, she took her hand down and looked straight at him. "It's gone," she said. The women looked at each other, perplexed, but relieved nonetheless.

"What's up with her?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Madame Pomfrey stood and looked at him. "She's fine now. May I ask why you're back here Mr. Malfoy?"

"I felt, um, strange."

McGonagall walked over to him. "How so? She asked.

"Well," he stated," I got a headache when I got to the stairs; as I kept walking, it became worse, and then I felt like I had a fever. So, I came back here, but it's gone now.

"When did the illness stop?"

"When I opened the door… Why?"

"Oh… Oh my…. I have to speak with Dumbledore. I'll be back in a few minutes. Madame Pomfrey, would you please come with me?" McGonagall said, bustling off.

He looked at his mother. "What the devil is going on?"

She sighed. "Well, while you were throwing a tantrum, Katelyn was in here, having the same ailments as you were."

Draco was confused, but at the same time, he felt a foreign jolt of irritation and frustration. Knowing now where it came from, he looked at O'Doherty, who had her knees up to her chest, her head in her hands; her hair was falling everywhere, covering her face.

"You've already figured this out haven't you?" he asked.

She nodded, her head still in her hands. Draco sat on the edge of her bed, next to his mother. "And you're not going to tell me, are you?"

"No," she said sullenly.

Draco became infuriated that she wouldn't tell him what the hell was going on, but he kept his temper and didn't insult her. He didn't think his mother would appreciate it if he did. So, he said something milder instead. "Still as stubborn as ever, I see," he said through clenched teeth.

She huffed angrily at him. "Keep your temper down, Draco. My emotions feel all unbalanced," she said, clearly annoyed at him.

Draco smirked faintly. Now he could annoy her on a whole new level.


	6. Chapter 6

**(AN: Hey, how's the story? :) there's actually stuff happening now, haha. Um, I'm not really fully happy with the way things were explained in the last chapter… but, whatevs, I got the point across, right? Anyway, reviews and constructive criticism are super-duper welcome. :) Thanks for reading. Enjoy!) **

* * *

Draco and Katelyn were walking down the hall after a hastening Headmistress McGonagall, who was speaking at a rapid speed. "I've had a conversation with Dumbledore, and it may not seem like the easiest thing to do, but it's the best way to keep you safe until we can sort this mess out."

"What?" Draco asked, "How could you have had a conversation with him? He's dead!

Katelyn rolled her eyes. "His portrait, you dozy git… and what did I just say? Keep your temper down!"

"Well, maybe I could if you didn't insult me!"

"Students!" McGonagall interjected, "You are adults. So please, act your age and not like a couple of children…"

Draco sneered and stuck his tongue out at Katelyn, so she tripped him. "Walk much?" she asked, and then ran a few steps so she was next to McGonagall, safe from harm.

"What did you decide then?" Draco asked as they got to the Entrance Hall.

"You will see when we get there."

When they had walked down the stairs, instead of turning left into the Common Room, McGonagall led them to the Great Hall and told them to wait outside.

"You say you've pieced this together, have you?" Draco asked Katelyn.

"Yes"

Well?"

"What?"

"What the bloody hell is going on?"

"You'll see. Plus, I don't even know if what I'm thinking is right. But, if it is... well… you won't like it."

He was about to retaliate when McGonagall came back out of the Great Hall.

"I've asked your friends to stay after dinner. They will be informed of this situation shortly," she said as she led them to their Common Room. Before opening the door, she sighed and turned to them. "This really isn't what I wanted to happen, but it is the only way to keep you healthy. And I please beg you to get along, cooperate, and stay together. Or, the two of you could become seriously ill. Now, I want both of you to promise me, right now, that you will at least try to stay out of trouble."

"Yes, Headmistress," they both said.

She gave them a stern, yet sympathetic look before opening the Common Room door. There was now a new door in between the boy's and girls' dormitories. She walked over and pushed it open.

"Since you become sick if you are too far away from the other, you will have to live in the same room for the time being. We are not sure how long that will be, but, I assure you, we are doing everything we can to fix this."

Katelyn could feel Draco's temper rising, and covered his mouth with her hand to keep him from saying something stupid. "Brilliant, Professor. Thank you," she said as he struggled to free himself from her.

"Dinner is nearly over. I'll leave you to look around then," McGonagall said and then walked away.

As soon as she was out of sight, Katelyn shoved Draco into their new room and slammed the door shut.

"What the hell were you covering my mouth for?" Draco roared.

"Why do you think, you thick numpty? You were about to smart off to our headmistress, and I don't need this stupid connection to know that! Don't you get it? If you get expelled, so do I. And I assure you, if that happens, you'll wish you'd never been born!" she stopped yelling for a moment and lowered her voice to a more polite tone. "Now, please, calm down. You're angry enough for the both of us."

She looked to her left and saw a four-poster twin bed dressed in green and silver. There was a door directly across from the one she'd just come though; she assumed that was the bathroom. On her right there was a trash bin and a desk. The room was the same on the other side except that instead of a trash bin, that side had a bookshelf. In between the beds was one long bedside table, so they could both use it. On the wall opposite of the table, there was a large wardrobe. "Well, it's split exactly in half," she said to Draco.

"Oh, yeah," he said sarcastically, "that's going to diminish _so many_ problems." He sat down in the middle of the floor and crossed his arms and legs.

"Draco, you look like a child. Get up off the floor."

"No," he said stubbornly.

She sighed and shook her head at him. Their things had already been brought into the room. She saw her trunk on the bed by the bathroom and went over to it to start unpacking her things. She put her clothes in the wardrobe, her books on the book shelf, and some pictures and other things on the bedside table. When she was done, she looked over to see Draco, still sitting on the floor.

"Are you going to unpack, or not?"

He didn't say anything.

"Alright then", she said, walking over to his trunk.

"It's password protected, bint. You'll never figure it out," he said smugly.

"Really?" she thought for a moment, and then simply stated "Hades." The trunk opened with a click.

"What? How could you possibly know?" Draco asked, still not getting up.

"Oh, please. It's so obvious. Passwords are almost always pet names."

Draco frowned. Hades is the name of his Doberman pinscher. _'Damn, she's smart.'_

He watched mulishly as she put away his clothes and books, working back and forth between the two trunks until everything was put away.

When Katelyn was done, she put the trunks under their beds and walked over to the bookshelf. She realized there wasn't really a comfortable place to read. That would have to be fixed.

"Draco, I'm giving you one warning. Get up off the floor right now."

"No."

"Well, okay, your choice," she said before a large, fluffy white rug appeared out of thin air and landed on him, followed by three bean bag chairs of red, yellow, and blue. "Right then, that's better."

She laughed as she watched him claw the floor trying to crawl out from beneath the rug. It was very peculiar to feel her own joy and his anger at the same time. She stopped laughing as Draco got up and looked at her devilishly.

_'Bollucks.' _

She tried to run away, but it was too late. He scooped her up, threw her over his shoulder and carried her out of the room, smirking at her protests. He was almost to the Common Room door when Pansy, Blaise, Theo and Goyle came in, along with Katelyn's friends and McGonagall.

"What do ya think your doin', Malfoy?" Seamus asked lividly.

"I _think_ I'm about to pitch your stupid girlfriend off the Astronomy Tower… sorry about that."

"Mr. Malfoy. Put her down," McGonagall said calmly, as if she'd been expecting this. She didn't even protest when Katelyn smacked the back of his head.

"Your friends have been told of your predicament, and they have agreed to give you their full support. After all, they're your friends. I'd be concerned if they didn't. Now, your schedules will have to be changed so you have the same classes. I apologize if this is an inconvenience, but it's better than lying in the hospital in a coma. Also, since you insist on arguing like cats and dogs every second of the day, your room has a silencing charm on it so everyone else doesn't have to listen to your constant bickering. If you have any questions or just need someone to talk to, there will always be somebody around. I believe that's it for now. Have a goodnight." And with that, she turned and left, leaving the students to talk.

There was a long moment of silence and then…. catastrophe as Seamus took a swing at Draco, who ducked. Pansy screamed because the fist hit Blaise instead. Seamus was quickly pulled away by Neville, Harry, and Ron but they were having a lot of trouble trying to keep him back. Hermione and Ginny had their wands out in case Goyle, Theo, or Draco tried anything funny. Pansy was fussing over Blaise, who was lying on the floor, clutching his bloody nose.

Katelyn sighed miserably and walked over to him. "Move," she said, pushing Pansy out of the way, who attempted to object, but was pulled away by Draco. Katelyn knelt down next to the injured classmate. "Sit up. Get your hands out of the way." She only had to examine the injury for a second to know what happened. "God dammit, Seamus! You broke his nose…" she said, handing Blaise a handkerchief.

She looked over at the fuming Irishman. He refused to meet her gaze.

Luna piped up. "I could fix his nose."

Katelyn looked gratefully at her bestfriend. "I've known you for seven years, and you still cease to amaze me, Luna."

Katelyn grabbed Blaise's arm. "Come on, up you get. Hold still."

"Episkey!"

There was a loud crack, and Blaise muttered a thank you before being led to the boys' dorm by Theo and Goyle.

Katelyn sulked for a moment, her bad mood becoming worse every second. "Well, I'm going to bed," she said, her voice trembling. Everyone watched as she stomped into the new room. The door slammed loudly behind her.

Pansy huffed and retreated into the girls' dorm. Seamus shrugged his friends off him and stalked into the boys' dorm.

"I better make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble, come on Ron," Harry said as he followed Seamus.

"I think it's time for us to go, Luna," Ginny said, heading back into the Entrance Hall.

Draco shuddered and started pacing. It was impossible to stand still.

"You're feeling jittery, aren't you?" Hermione asked. "It's an effect of the bond since you're not in the same room. I've read about a thing like this happening. Not to sound mean or anything, but you better get used to it. There isn't a known cure yet."

"Glorious," Draco said scornfully, "That's just great. Thanks for that Granger."

Neville was still staring at the door Katelyn had disappeared behind. "I've never seen her so mad. I think someone should go talk to her.

Draco snorted at his ignorance. "Yeah? Well, I have. Unless you want your head ripped off, stay out here. I'll try and see what her problem is. I've dealt with her enough times. I should be all right."

As soon as he opened the door, he had to dodge out of the way as a book flew past his head.

"Wow," he said to himself, before calling out to Granger and Longbottom. "No, she's pretty pissed. You could try again in the morning though."

He shut the door and walked over to her bed. "Don't kill me… I'm just going to close the curtains. I'm not going to bother you. Cease fire. I'm just going to sit quietly and read, all right? Right."

He pulled a random book off of the bookshelf and sat on one of the bean bags. They actually were quite comfy. He'd thank her for that later…. maybe. He suddenly felt fully content. He smiled softly. O'Doherty must have been so furious; she'd worn herself out and fell asleep.

'_This bonding thing is definitely going to be very interesting.'_ He thought to himself before settling down and opening his book.


	7. Chapter 7

**(AN: Yes, I do realize some of the bands mentioned did not exist during the time of Harry Potter. I apologize. :) Um, this chapter is kind of pointless, but… oh well, haha. Reviews and constructive criticism are very welcome. Sorry for the wait. Thanks for reading. Enjoy! :D) **

* * *

Draco woke up the next morning to someone jabbing his arm. For a moment, he thought it was Blaise or Theo, until he remembered what had happened the day before. A pillow hit the side of his face.

"Honestly, Draco. Get up!"

He opened his eyes and saw O'Doherty standing next to his bed, looking down at him disapprovingly. She was wearing a different Muggle band t-shirt, except this one was American. Nirvana, yet another band Draco had a hard time believing she would like.

"What time is it?" he asked, yawning.

"Time for you to get your arse out of bed….and hurry up! I'm hungry…"

He heard the door shut and started to feel slightly restless. Draco figured she'd be waiting in the Common Room. He could feel that her mood hadn't improved much, but still, maybe he would sleep for just a few more minutes.

* * *

The only two people who were out there were Ron and Blaise. Katelyn was still upset about what Ron had said to her at Lunch on Tuesday, so she went and sat on a couch beside the latter. She brought her knees up to her chest and crossed her arms.

"You alright, Green?" he asked.

"Green?"

"Well, yeah. You're Irish and a Slytherin, and your last name is really weird and no one knows how to say it, so… Green."

"You irritate me."

"No I don't. Now, I believe I asked you if you're alright, and I would appreciate an answer. Are you okay?"

"No, not really. . . Why?"

"You just seem bothered by something, that's all."

"Whatever. . ."

"What? Am I not allowed to be concerned about people?" Blaise asked, feigning offense.

Katelyn snorted. "You're a Slytherin, so technically… I guess not. But you've always got to look after your friends, right?"

"Exactly, and I'd like to consider us as friends, Green," he said, smiling.

"Friends? We never even speak to each other."

"We're talking right now."

"Touché."

"So it's settled. We're friends."

"Go away."

"To be fair, I was here first. So, if anyone should leave, it's you."

She was about to reply, but Ron beat her to it. "Yeah, O'Doherty. You're not welcome here. Why don't you leave?"

She made a sudden movement like she was going to stand, but Blaise grabbed her wrist to keep her still. He'd heard Draco's horror stories about her temper.

Ron continued. "Or, better yet, I could call up Azkaban if you're missing Mummy and Daddy. I'm sure the Dementors would love a new inmate."

Blaise was pulled to his feet suddenly as Katelyn stood quickly. "Shut up, Ron! You've no clue what you're talking about," she said. Blaise put a hand over her mouth so she couldn't say anything stupid. He was having trouble keeping her still. "What do you think you're playing at, Weasley?" he asked," Do you want yourself killed?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it past her. Pureblood, Slytherin, Deatheater parents; it's in her blood, killing is. I wouldn't be surprised if she turned out just like them. A murderer, lying in a cell in Azkaban, an inch away from death, mad out of her mind. Evil and unloved . . . just like her stupid parents."

Katelyn ran toward Ron and knocked him off his feet. Actually, she didn't remember the running. One second, she had elbowed Blaise in the gut to break his grip, and the next she was sitting on Weasley, attempting to punch his face in.

Blaise was about to call for Draco, but he was already running out of his room and over to the boys' dorm for help. Zabini ran over and grabbed Katelyn by the waist, trying to pull her away. "Draco, hurry! Murder! Murder in the Common Room!" he yelled.

"Not murder. Not yet, at least. Let me go!" she screamed.

It wasn't until Blaise had Theo's help, that they were able to pull her off of Weasel. She was still kicking, screaming and lunging at anyone who came close enough. The added anger was not helping Draco's stress. He went over to her and looked her straight in the eye. "Katelyn," he said cautiously, "What would your parents think if they could see you right now?" It was what his mother would say to calm her down, and it always worked. This time was no exception. Almost immediately, the anger left her face and she sank into Blaise's arms, sobbing. Draco turned his head towards Ron, who was being looked over by Harry and Neville, then back to Blaise. "What did he do?"

"Same thing you always do. He went straight for the killer."

Draco walked over to Weasley. "You insulted her parents? Are you suicidal?"

"Well . . . she deserved it."

"No she didn't," Blaise interjected. "We were sitting on the other side of the room having a nonsense conversation when Weasel was thick enough to give his two-cents. If anyone deserved anything, it was him."

Draco turned to Harry. "Where's Granger at?"

"The Library. Why?"

"Can you bring her here?

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"That's not –"

"Potter, just go get her. Now!"

Giving up, Harry left for the library.

Blaise took the sorrowful Slytherin and sat her down on a couch, trying to stop her tears, but to no avail, she continued weeping.

Draco could feel O'Doherty's excruciating sadness and it was driving him mad. Was this what she felt whenever someone mentioned her parents? He sat down in a chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Can someone get her to calm down?" he choked out. There was a lump in his throat that he assumed was caused by her crying. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Longbottom get up and go over to the couch where she was, very reluctantly, being held by Blaise. He now could distantly hear Neville whispering comforting words to her.

Theo came over and sat on the armrest of Draco's chair. "You can feel that, mate?" he asked.

"Yeah. How do you think I knew something was wrong without anyone telling me? I've known her for seven years. I know how much rage she can keep bottled up before she goes off. Trust me, I cause it half of the time."

Just then, the door opened and Harry came in with Hermione.

"Oh, he didn't," Hermione said, sounding disappointed.

Neville looked up from the couch. "He did. He insulted her parents. His injuries are pretty minor though, just some bruises. If anyone can fix him up, it's you, Hermione."

"Why didn't you take him to Madame Pomfrey?" she asked.

"Because both of us would've been expelled." Draco whispered, jerking his thumb in Katelyn's direction, so Weasley couldn't hear and get any ideas.

Hermione nodded and went over to Ron. "How many times have I told you, Ronald? Katelyn is the sweetest person you could ever meet, but she's very much like a nymph. Powerful? Definitely. But . . . only attacks when provoked. She's really nice and harmless. Honestly, when are you going to stop being prejudiced towards her? She's one of my best friends…"

In a few minutes, Ron was well again; he stormed out of the Common Room and slammed the door behind him. Hermione sighed and walked over to Katelyn. "Don't worry. I'll have a talk with him, okay?" But Katelyn's face was buried in Neville's shoulder, and she didn't seem up to conversation. So Hermione and Harry left to find Ron. Neville muttered something about a Herbology essay and went to the Library.

Draco went over and sat on the couch next to Blaise. "What in the world am I going to do with you, O'Doherty?"

"You gotta admit," Theo said, "that bond does make a nice little warning siren."

"Yeah, I guess it does." Draco turned to Katelyn. "But I'm still never letting you out of my sight again."

* * *

It had taken a while to get Katelyn to stop crying, and that was only because she had fallen asleep. It had been an hour since the Gryffindors left before anyone noticed her.

"Did she seriously fall asleep?" Theo asked.

Draco sighed. "Well, yes. She tends to wear herself out if she gets too worked up . . . . So, what do you blokes want to do today?"

"Is the Quidditch field open? We could go flying."

"Excellent. Well, I've got to get dressed… Blaise…"

"Yeah?"

"You may want to change your shirt. That one is kind of wet…"

"Well, tears tend to do that," he said heading into the boys' dorm.

A few minutes later, Draco emerged from his room fully dressed and carrying a large book.

"What's that for?" Theo asked. "I thought we were going flying."

"We are, but O'Doherty is going to wake up at some point, and will not be very happy if she's stranded outside with nothing to do."

"Fair enough, but why does she have to come?"

"Because of the bond. Don't ask me to explain it because I know nothing about it."

"Okay, but why don't we just wake her up now?"

"She wouldn't come, I swear, she'd put up one hell of a fight. Grab your brooms. Let's get a move on before she comes around."

"Too late," Blaise said, pointing to Katelyn, who was now stirring.

Draco frowned. "You've got to be kidding me . . . . Right, lads; brooms, now."

"Brooms?" Katelyn asked. "What do you need brooms for? What are we doing?"

"We," Draco said, pointing to Theo and Blaise, "are going flying, and you are going to sit in the stands and read this book like a good little girl." He tossed the book onto the couch.

"I don't want to go outside. I'm not going to read this stupid book," She threw it across the room. "and if you think I'm going to be a 'good little girl', you've got another thing coming."

"Right… I thought we might hit this snag." Draco walked over to Blaise, took his broom, and handed it to Theo. "Blaise, you're the strongest. Grab her, please." Blaise shrugged and threw Katelyn over his shoulder.

"No! AGH! Put me down!"

"Sorry, but I've been told to do otherwise," he said, smirking.

"You know, Draco, I really don't like you."

"Duly noted, now let's go."

"Wait! What about my book?"

"I believe you have lost that privilege," he said, patting her head. "Now, let's go." Draco led the way out of the Common Room.

"Blaise, if you don't put me down right now, I'll hex you into the next century."

"No, you won't," Theo said as he grabbed her wand from her back pocket.

"Ugh, Theo! Give me my wand."

"Nah. I'm very sure that taking your wand was a really brilliant idea."

* * *

The walk to the Quidditch field was a very interesting one. They were getting strange looks from anyone who crossed their path and more than once they were stopped and asked what they were doing. Blaise was also having trouble keeping the small Slytherin on his shoulder. "Stop squirming, or you're going to fall and land on your head."

"Good. I'd rather be unconscious than here, being carried like I'm being held captive."

Draco sighed. "Why are you so whiney, O'Doherty?"

"I am not whiney. I just don't like being carted around like an ill-behaved toddler."

He snorted. "We're almost there, Blaise. You can put the blood-traitor down if you want."

"Alright, then," he said, carefully setting Katelyn on her feet.

"Thank you, Blaise," she said as she straightened her, now wrinkled, shirt. She promptly walked over to Draco, whacked the back of his head, and then marched over to Theo. "Wand, please."

"What? You mean this one?" He held out her wand, but didn't hand it to her.

"Yes, that one. Now, let's try again. Wand, now."

"Nope." He held it up above his head, out of her reach. Draco and Blaise were sniggering at her attempts to jump to the height of the wand.

"Okay. I see how it is." She kicked the back of his knee causing him to fall and then wrestled the wand from his grip. "Thank you," she said, walking ahead of the group. Looking back, she saw the tree boys still standing in the same pot. "You coming or not?"

Theo turned to Draco. "She's strong, that one. Did you know she's that strong?"

"What do you mean? Of course I know . . . but it was more fun watching you get beat by her." Draco smirked and patted his friend's shoulder before heading off towards the Quidditch field.


	8. Chapter 8

**(Hey, sorry for the long wait. I've been super busy with school and homework and stuff. So, here it is. Chapter Eight, updated about two weeks later than I wanted it to be. Thanks for reading. Enjoy!)**

* * *

Katelyn had spent the entire time at the Quidditch field proudly being nuisance. If she wasn't trying to distract someone long enough for them to run into something, she was magicking random objects in their way so they would do so. At one point, she had started yelling "Go, Go, Gryffindor" just for kicks. She stopped when a Quaffle came flying at her head. She picked it up and threw it back at them, succeeding in knocking Malfoy off his broom and scaring the crap out of him.

On the way to lunch, the two decided that they would spend time with the other's friends on an 'every other day' basis. Upon entering the Great Hall, they both shuffled off quickly, muttering something similar to "Thank God." With each step, becoming irritated by the other's irritation.

* * *

After lunch, Theo had dragged Draco back to the Common Room to help him with a Potions assignment, so, in return, Katelyn had to come too. She had thought for sure she would go mad with only those two buffoons to be around. That was, until, Hermione came in. Katelyn hastily ran over to her and sat down, clear on the other side of the room from her fellow Slytherins.

"What are you working on 'Mione?"

"Muggle Studies; U.S. presidents. I have to research Theodore Roosevelt. You know, I'm really glad this class is mandatory for all students now. The lessons are much more interesting than they used to be."

Katelyn studied his picture for a moment. "He looks like a friendly guy."

Hermione giggled at her unsystematic comment. "Well I'd hope so. It would be strange to name the Teddy Bear after a grouch, wouldn't it?"

"Wait . . . what?"

"The Teddy Bear was named after Theodore Roosevelt."

"Seriously? That's pretty cool."

"I guess it is."

"Hey, Theo!" Katelyn yelled across the room.

"What?" He looked up, aggravated, from his work, chewing on the end of his quill.

"Can I call you Teddy?

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because . . . it's stupid and weird and it's . . . it's –"

"Cute?" Draco cut in, snorting uncontrollably.

Theo whacked him with a Potions book. "No! It's not cute! At all, no! Not cute, I am not cute!"

Hermione wasn't very happy with the noise and yelling. "I agree. Now, please be quiet. I'm trying to work."

"Yeah," Katelyn said, "not cute."

"Yeah," Theo concurred, nodding.

"Adorable."

The room erupted with laughter; even Hermione couldn't help but chuckle.

Theo jumped up from his chair, pointing franticly at O'Doherty. "No! No, I'm not adorable either!"

"Sure you are –" "

No I'm not! I'm a Slytherin! I'm cunning, powerful . . . dark."

"Maybe, you're secretly adorable and you don't know it. Like . . . a reverse Teddy Bear."

Theo was about to retort, but Draco cut him off. "So you're saying that Teddy Bears look sweet and harmless, but really on the inside, their malicious?"

"Um . . . yes . . ."

Theo chortled. "Okay. You're barmy. I'm leaving." He put away his things and made his way to the door.

Katelyn waved. "Bye, Teddy!"

Before the door shut, he held up his hand and made a rude gesture. Everyone in the room looked offended except for the two Slytherins, who only laughed.

"O'Doherty, you're not seriously going to call him that are you?" Draco asked.

"Eh, he'll get used to it."

"No he won't."

"Well, he kinda has to, doesn't he? . . . Draco?"

Draco didn't respond. He was staring off in Hermione's direction, with his "Malfoy mask" on, his face unreadable. Something was bothering him, but she couldn't tell exactly what. Hermione cleared he throat awkwardly, collected her things and moved into the Girls' dorm.

Katelyn turned to Draco. "What? What is your problem?"

It took him a moment to reply. ". . . Hm?" That is, if you even consider that replying.

"Oi, Draco!" she snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. "What are you thinking about?"

"Huh? Oh, um, nothing . . . come on, let's go."

"Go where?"

No response. He only led the way out of the Common Room, aimlessly wandering through the school, thinking. He could feel O'Doherty becoming annoyed with him, but he didn't care. She finally said something after twenty minutes of worthless roaming.

"Where are we going?"

"No idea."

"Okay." She looked around. "Where are we?"

He stopped. "I don't know that either."

"What?"

"I don't think I've ever been to this part of the castle before." Despite his troubles, he smirked a tiny bit. O'Doherty couldn't stand being lost. He sat down on the floor against the wall.

"Well, where do you think we might be?" but Draco had zoned out again; there was no getting an answer out of him. She sighed and sat down next to him. "Alright. What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing. I'm fine . . . fine."

"No, you're not. Something is bothering you. I would know; I can feel it."

"I'm alright! Now leave me alone." He tried to stand but Katelyn grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't lie to me, Draco," she said warningly. "Now, what's on your mind?"

"Why do you care?!"

"Why shouldn't I?"

Draco could hear the offended tone in her voice. He could feel it too of, course. He wondered why she cared about it so much. Heaven forbid someone doesn't let O'Doherty worry about them.

Draco sighed and lightened his harsh tone. "Because I'm horrible to you, and your friends, and the Mudbloods, and basically anyone who isn't Pureblood and Slytherin. Because I am just an awful, terrible, and atrocious person . . ."

She felt an odd pang of sympathy for the dismal boy sitting next to her. He looked and felt miserable and close to tears. "That's not true."

The venom returned to his voice. "Yes it is! What do you know anyway? You don't know anything about me!"

"Yes I do," she stated simply.

Draco looked at her disbelievingly and shook his head.

"What were you thinking about in the Common Room? Why are we here, lost in the castle? . . . Draco?"

He sighed. There was no getting out of this. "Granger."

Katelyn raised an eyebrow. "Go on . . ."

"She was tortured in my own home, right in front of me, and I did nothing. Granted, I do hate her, but still. I watched Bellatrix nearly kill her, and I did nothing."

This was not exactly what she had expected to hear. "Oh . . . um."

"Does she ever talk about it? Granger, I mean, or Lovegood or Dean Thomas? Do they ever talk about being locked in that stupid cellar?"

"Uh, well, no. I don't think any of them ever, um, reflect on it."

"I don't deserve to be here."

"What?" She tried to catch his gaze, but he refused to look at her. Only the wall or his knees were worthy enough for his stare apparently.

"I don't deserve it! Don't you understand? I'm terrible! My whole life, I've been raised to be a fucking murderer! And I didn't even stop it! Didn't even know . . ."

"Draco, don't say—"

"No! It's true, completely true! You wouldn't understand. You're nice and . . . and good. Not evil . . . I'm evil . . ." His voice was becoming fainter with each word. "I don't deserve it . . . . living."

"Draco!" Katelyn screeched, jumping up. "Don't you ever say that! Ever!"

"Why not? It's the truth isn't it? Everyone hates me!"

"Your friends don't hate you! I don't hate you. Not even—"

"That's a lie! You hate me, I know you do! You're just too polite to say so!" She didn't say anything or retaliate in any way. "Humph. Yeah, that's what I thought."

Katelyn opened her mouth as if to say something, but no sound came. Draco could feel her attempts to block him out so he couldn't try to figure out what she was thinking by reading her emotions. He wasn't about to try and find out though. It wouldn't have mattered; she was feeling at least fifteen. The only thing Draco knew was that she hated him; it was obvious. She loathed him just as much as everyone else did.

At that moment, something snapped, and Draco felt a stitch of anger in her. She turned on her heel and tore off down the hallway. Having no choice but to follow her, Draco scrambled to his feet and sprinted after her. He was jogging down the corridor, but was still having a hard time keeping up with her. Within ten minutes, she had somehow found her way through the Labyrinth-like school and back to their room. She didn't say anything until the door slammed shut behind Draco.

"O'Doherty? What the hell?!"

"'What the hell' is that I cannot believe you! You've never cared what anyone ever thought about you! Why do you care now? Why should you care when you're not going to have to deal with these people in less than a year?! Who the bloody hell cares?!"

He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "You know what, Malfoy? Here's an idea! If you want people to stop hating you, why don't you stop feeling sorry for yourself?!" She picked up one of the bean bag chairs and chucked it his head, making him fall over.

When he got to his feet again, O'Doherty had shut herself up behind the curtains of her four-poster. She was fuming, and Draco, who was equally infuriated, thought it best not to disturb her, in fear of having something heavier thrown at him. Instead, he went and sat on his own bed with his wand clasped tightly in his hand in case something else came barreling in his direction.

"Stop feeling sorry for myself?! How dare you! You have no clue what it's like to be me! Everyone hates me because I'm a Deatheater! Even you should understand that! You could have turned out the exact same way!"

"I would never!" The curtains flew back and in an instant she was in front of Draco, her wand pointed at his chest. "I would never! You stupid, gormless, dozy, idiotic arse! And just so you know, no one hates you because you _were _a Deatheater! They hate you because you're a bully and you deserve it!" She lowered her wand. "You bloody eejit."

Suddenly the door of the room burst open. Hermione ran in and disarmed them. "Do you two ever do anything except fight?"

"How—"

"You were yelling so loud that your voice frequencies were causing the walls to vibrate."

"Oh"

"Yes, now, I've sent Hannah off to tell McGonagall that the Silencing charm should be taken down because, obviously," she held up their wands, "you two are more trouble than you're worth. Katelyn, I think I would be better if you came with me. I don't care about the bond. Which is worse, having a headache or killing each other?"

"Well . . ." Draco started; he was cut off by a stinging slap to the face with so much force behind it that he fell to the floor.

He looked up to see O'Doherty standing over him. "Say another word, Malfoy, and I swear, it'll be a fist next time," she said venomously before being led away by Hermione.

* * *

**Author's Note: So… school has started up again which means I'm going to be super busy all the time. That also means I'm not going to be able to update as much as I usually do :(. I will probably try to update every weekend. Sorry about that… I'm going to try to update as frequently as possible. :) Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**(Author's Note: So, I have not updated in a really, really long time, and I am very sorry. I feel so bad. . . Uh, this chapter is a little short and kinda random, so, yeah. :P As always, reviews and constructive criticism are very welcome. ****Also, if you have any questions about the story or the characters or really anything, feel free to leave a comment/review asking about it.****I'll respond ASAP :) Btw, thanks for putting up with my never posting enough. I, again, apologize sincerely for being slow. Haha :)**** Thanks for reading. Enjoy!)**

* * *

It had two hours since Katelyn had left with Hermione; they were now next door in the girls' dorm. McGonagall had come and taken the Silencing charm off their room. She scolded Draco and then told him that research was being done on a potion that may be able to weaken the bond. Yet another precaution to keep the two from murdering each other.

Hitherto, Draco had been enduring an irritating headache, which, now had turned into an agonizing migraine. The pain was awful and he would not be able to handle it much longer. "Granger!" he yelled, thankful that someone would be able to hear him.

"What do you want?" she shouted back. She and Katelyn were lounging on the soft carpet doing homework.

"Hermione, don't yell. Migraine," Katelyn whined, holding her hands to her forehead.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

Draco called again. "Granger!"

She sighed and got up from her work. When she walked in, Draco was laying face down on the floor amongst the bean bag chairs. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"Migraine. She needs to come back. Now."

"I don't think—"

"Now!"

"Ugh . . . Fine . . ." She left, muttering under her breath.

When Katelyn trudged back in holding he head, Draco's migraine immediately subdued. She walked over, kicked him in the gut and sat down on a bean bag. "Sorry I slapped you."

"Gee, thanks," he replied sarcastically.

Hermione rolled her eyes and left. "You two are ridiculous. I'm going to the library." She let the door shut behind her.

The two Slytherins continued fighting.

"I don't understand why Granger called us both ridiculous. I'm obviously the sane one out of the two of us." Draco said, sitting up.

"Oh, shove off, Ferret. If either of us has gone mad, it's you, no doubt."

"Ferret? Ferret! Do I look like a ferret to you? Surprise! I'm a person, not a rodent."

"That's debatable . . . "

"What do you mean by that?"

Yet again, their door opened. This time, it was Blaise, who walked in nonchalantly and sat down between the two. "Thought I heard raised voices. What's up with you guys this time?"

"It seems Draco has lost his sense of self-worth."

"Oh, shut up, O'Doherty! Don't be such a tattle-tale."

"Tattle-tale? How old are you? Five?"

Blaise interrupted. "Actually, both of you are acting like children right now."

Draco looked offended. "I am not! She's the one who called me Ferret."

Blaise couldn't help but snort. "Seriously?" he asked Katelyn, who nodded, smirking.

"That's brilliant," he said as he badly hid his laughter.

"You two are unbelievable," Draco muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Well, thank you."

"Seriously, I mean it. I have no clue why I put up with you."

"Well, I'm your best friend, and, well, you just will have to deal with her forever, I guess."

"How lovely," he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"And how. So, if you're done threatening each other, I think I'll be off."

"Thank god," Katelyn said spitefully.

"Gee, thanks, Green. I'll miss you too."

"Don't call me that!" she shouted as the door shut.

"Why does he call you that?" Draco asked.

"Because he's a freak."

"Well, that would explain that."

"Also explains why you're friends with him."

"Yeah, I guess— Hey!"

"Hay is for horses."

"Oh, har har. Aren't you just hilarious?"

"Hm, I'd like to thing I am; yes."

"Of course you do."

"Right, well, I'm bored. Come on," she said, walking toward the door.

Draco followed reluctantly. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

"Well, that narrows the choices down a bit."

"Oh, be quiet."

* * *

"Welcome to the Music Wing," Katelyn said happily. They had been walking for Merlin knows how long before she had stopped in front of a large door.

"Hogwarts has a Music Wing?" Draco asked, eying the elaborate door. Despite its decoration, the place looked old and worn down.

"Hogwarts has everything, Draco." As soon as she opened the door, Draco could feel her mood lighten by a million.

"Why exactly are we here?" he asked spitefully, taking advantage of her peaceful disposition.

"Because I'm bored and, if you'll allow be to be quite frank, you piss me off."

Apparently her mood was still wavering. Draco spoke carefully, but still with a slight sneer. "You were frank before I allowed it."

"That's too bad," she replied, smirking cheerfully.

"Whatever . . . . You know, you may be "Miss Musical" but what do you expect me to do here? I've never played an instrument in my entire life."

Katelyn snorted. "That's a lie. You've an organ at home. Cissy had you take lessons and apparently you're really good." She rummaged through a box of recent music and handed him a random stack of songs, smiling at the pink tint starting on Draco's cheeks.

"I cannot believe my mother told you that."

"I can't believe you're ashamed. I think it's pretty adorable." She sat down at a baby grand piano with a single piece of music.

Draco sat at his own piano and looked at the pile of music in his hands. "Hey, how come these are all by Muggle artists?"

"Not all of the music in here is by Muggles. Actually, only a tiny portion of it is."

"And you hand me that small portion. Why?"

"Oh . . . no reason."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "You're hiding something. Spill."

"I got a letter from Cissy. I'd get used to Muggle culture if I were you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, yet."

"Oh God! She isn't going to try to reform me, is she?"

"What? No, of course not. Why would she do that?" She didn't sound very convincing.

"Oh God!" His head hit the piano keys and O'Doherty winced at the dissonant chord it held.

"Oh, come on. She isn't making the family give up magic or anything. I swear. She just wants you to be more open to other things, like Muggle things. Cissy reckons your dad's teachings were a bit harsh . . . Who knows; maybe you'll like some Muggle stuff? Like, music, for instance."

Draco lifted his head from the piano. "Yeah. That's likely."

Katelyn sighed. "Speaking of your dad . . . has the Ministry decided what they're going to do with him yet?" She spoke delicately as she casually plotted notes on the keys.

"Yeah. Dementor's Kiss."

Her hand hit the keys which made another dissonant sound. "What?!"

"Oh, don't act so surprised. What did you expect?"

"But . . . well—uh . . . um . . ." Katelyn stammered and was unable to form a complete thought.

"Look. I really don't care. Don't be all sympathetic. He deserves it. For all I care, they can give him the Kiss and then let him rot."

"That's a horrible thing to say."

"Yeah, well. He did some horrible things . . . and so did I."

O'Doherty rolled her eyes. "Oh, not this again. This is ridiculous." She looked through a box of songs near her piano and handed one to him. "Here. Play this."

"Perfect by Simple Plan?"

"Just look at the song."

He studied it for a moment, his eyebrows rising higher as he flipped pages. "This . . . This is. . ."

"Relatable?" Katelyn quipped, smiling at his new discovery.

"Well, yes."

"That's why I like Simple Plan. A lot of people can relate to their songs in some way or another." She sat back down at her piano and started playing again. "Read it, learn it, play it; you'll feel better. I promise."

Even though he was intrigued by the song Draco was still going to be defiant about it. "I don't see how scribbles on a paper could make anyone feel better."

"I'd hardly call it scribbles, Draco . . . "

With that comment he set up his area and got to work, giving into his curiosity.

* * *

After two hours he had learned about half of the song, (Piano-wise, of course. He would never _sing_ in front of O'Doherty.), and was feeling pretty proud of himself. He looked over to where she was seated at her baby grand, flawlessly playing a complicated song that reminded him of a record spinning. You know, flowy- sounding. "Hey, what are you playing?"

"A song," she stated, not taking her eyes from the piano.

Draco rolled his eyes. "What a genius observation, O'Doherty. If I'd remembered you were too stupid for logical conversation I wouldn't have said anything."

This was countered with an eye roll of her own. "It's an accompaniment to a song I like." Her voice became considerably quieter. "You blithering idiot . . ."

He heard that last part even though she tried to hide it. "Well. That's not very nice," he said with a sneer.

"And neither are you," she retorted.

Getting tired of being slyly insulted, he got p and stood over her shoulder as obnoxiously as possible. He read the title while precariously leaning over her head. "Turning Tables by . . . Adeelee?"

O'Doherty's hand flew to her head in the mother of all facepalms. "You are really daft . . . Adele . . . It's pronounced Adele."

"Oh. Well, that's a stupid name."

She looked up at him. "Do you have a question, or are you just here to annoy me?"

Draco could clearly sense her impatience. Annoying her is always fun. He looked down at her and smirked. "Scoot over."

"No."

"Yes." He pushed her over to one side of the piano bench and sat down. "So . . . music . . . "

O'Doherty huffed an angry sigh. "Alright. None of this." Setting the lid down over the keys, she turned to Draco who was feigning innocence. "What?"

"Whatever do you mean, Green?"

O'Doherty rolled her eyes. "Merlin, you're obnoxious . . ." She got up and made her way to the door. Draco followed and pumped his fist in the air.

"To Dinner!" he called, taking the lead down the corridor.

This earned him a skeptic look from Katelyn. "What is with you today, Mr. Cheerful . . .? " She merely laughed when Draco shot her a rude look before turning around.


	10. Chapter 10

**(Author's Note: Yay; we're up to ten chapters :). Although, I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this one. I loathe yet love it. Anyway, big changes at Hogwarts are on their way. It's kind of a jump-the-shark thing, but oh well. I'm excited about it and we'll see how it goes. :D**

**I've been thinking a lot about how the characters are and what they think about each other. There is so much information about it that I'm just not able to put in the story; it's driving me mad _. So, I am willing to tell you peoples about it, but only if you ask a specific question about someone or something. None of that "Tell us all the secrets" crap. : P **

**Now I'm running out of stuff to say. Um, oh; if there's a song mentioned in the story, I highly recommend you look it up. Like, "Perfect" by Simple Plan is crazy relatable; it's a little scary. If you want to you should totally check that band out. I recently got my friend hooked on them and quite proud myself for that :). **

**In case you were wondering, the only reason I've been able to update is because my school is on Fall Intersession, and I've just had loads of time to do nothing. :) Again, I apologize for the long wait of the last chapter, I feel awful for that. :/ So, as always reviews and constructive criticism are very welcome. Don't forget to ask questions; I love questions :3. I hope you guys like this chapter. Thanks for reading. Enjoy!)**

* * *

Tuesday night, five days post-bond, the two Slytherins were sitting in their room doing homework. It was getting pretty late and O'Doherty wasn't in the best of moods. Draco had done a sufficient job of pissing her off earlier so now he was just going to have to put up with her. Seated at his desk, he worked on Muggle Studies while he tried to ignore her sore feeling. She was sitting on her bed working on the same homework as Draco and could occasionally be heard sighing irritably. He assumed it was because she was angry. Moaning over Muggle Studies made no sense; it was her best subject.

After thirty minutes of odd silence, he heard a quill hit the floor followed by the soft swish of parchment as it landed alongside it. He felt a strange calmness and turned to find that O'Doherty had fallen asleep; her homework lay forgotten on the floor. Draco snorted and got up to put his things, as well as hers away, knowing her mood would only worsen if her homework was stepped on. Luckily, it looked as though she had finished her essay on Ben Franklin before she dozed off.

Suddenly, he was reminded of how tired he was so he decided to go to bed, lest he look like a zombie in the morning.

* * *

_There were tears streaming down her face. She was running; it was too dark and there were trees and braches blocking every path but one. She scrambled around roots and plants in the woods. Someone or something was chasing her and she didn't care to know what. The area around her was pitch black and her sight was only made worse by tears and blood. The sound of footsteps was coming dangerously close. Leave and branches were scratching her face. Her breathing was staggered and her sides hurt from running. The thing was coming closer. She turned her head to see where it was even though she knew she shouldn't. It was right behind her. No; not an "it." Was it a person? Tall and cloaked but it was no Dementor; that much she knew. It moved quickly and soundlessly; gaining on her. She whipped her head back around front. She had to see where she was going but it was too late. A tree root had gotten her. She tripped and fell hard onto the ground. The only thing to break her fall was a rotting log. She sat up to see the thing creeping closer. She couldn't move, couldn't even scream. She could only watch with horror filled eyes as the figure reached out an ice-cold hand and grabbed her arm._

Katelyn woke with a start, screaming. Someone was grabbing her shoulders, but it was dark and she was disoriented enough to not realize it was Draco. She was still hysterical and was quickly pulled into his arms. She was kicking and fighting to get free, not noticing that she was crying.

A harsh, yet concerned, voice cut through the blackness. "O'Doherty, you idiot, it's me! It's Draco!" She stopped squirming and he released her, holding her at arm's length with one hand and lighting his wand with the other. He saw that she looked severely frightened; her eyes were red and she was crying as well as shaking. "You were yelling in your sleep. A nightmare; I couldn't get you to wake up. . . Are you alright?"

"I . . . um, yeah. – I think so . . ." she stammered. Was she okay? She felt fine . . . what did he mean? Better yet, why did he care? This was really a strange scene. Draco Malfoy was genuinely concerned for well being.

He let go of her shoulder and nodded. "Yeah, okay . . ." He slipped off the edge of her bed and shut the curtains, only to fling them open again a moment later. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, right." He murmured a Nox and shut the curtains once more. She heard him crawl into his own bed and sigh loudly. There was a trace of something else in him besides concern, though. A hint of annoyance, maybe, but she was sure there was something else. Was it embarrassment? Draco Malfoy is not embarrassed easily. Maybe it was the fact that he was worried about someone he hated. But, then again, Katelyn didn't understand how being concerned for people is a bad thing. Nonetheless, _it is _Draco. He has a heart, may not know how to use it willingly, but he has one . . .

His voice rang out again. "Stop thinking and go to sleep, O'Doherty."

"You're one to talk. Who was just doing the same thing?"

"Me. And I'm telling you to go to sleep," he replied. His was voice inching towards angry.

Instead of coming up with a retort, she did what he said. Sleep did seem like a good idea at the moment.

* * *

Morning. Draco doesn't like mornings. And, have mercy! What is that noise? Oh, right; alarm clock. He stumbled out of bed and turned it off. There was no movement or sound in the small room. For the first time ever, Draco was up before O'Doherty. He didn't know why, but for some reason he had the urge to piss her off as much as he could. Yes, he knew that this was an immensely bad idea, but he was going to do it anyway. He crept closer to her bed and reached for the curtain; he wavered for a second, remembering that she had had a nightmare the night before. Draco smirked and wrenched open the curtains. She hadn't woken up by the time he grabbed his wand and yelled, "Aguamenti!"

She jumped up with a scream as ice cold water came splashing down, getting her completely soaked. Draco howled with laughter, but before he could save himself he was on the floor being pummeled with a pillow.

"Draco Malfoy! You complete arse!"

"Oi! Hey, cut it out." He pushed O'Doherty away and grabbed his wand before she threw the pillow at his head and stalked out of the room. Draco wondered what she was doing until he heard a familiar voice say, "Bloody hell! What happened to you?"

She had gone to get her boyfriend. . .

Draco had his wand out well before Seamus stormed into the room. The armed Slytherin was no threat to him, though, as he walked in and forcefully poked him in the chest, causing Draco to stagger a bit. "What the hell, Malfoy?"

Draco looked to the doorway where O'Doherty was standing, looking smug. The water had made her already dark brown hair look black and her green/grey eyes sparkled with arrogance. Despite being tired and drenched, she seemed pretty proud of herself. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the doorframe and quirked an eyebrow as if to say, 'How are you gonna get yourself out of this one, dumbass?'

"Expelliarmus!" Draco's wand flew out of the air and was caught by Hermione. She had just shown up with Neville who dragged Seamus away from the wandless Slytherin.

"Neville, let me go now!" he said while trying to take swings at Draco as he was pulled away and into the common room.

Hermione stared at the two with an exasperated look. "Really? Can't you two get along for five seconds? You're lucky Neville saw Seamus storm off or you would've had some serious trouble. Draco, why?" She gestured to Katelyn. "Just why?"

He shrugged. "It was funny."

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed. "Of course it was," she muttered bitterly. "Katelyn, grab your stuff. You can get ready in the dormitories." Katelyn did just that as the Gryffindor eyed Malfoy disapprovingly. "You should get yourself ready quickly if you want to make it to breakfast. We can't be late for Muggle Studies," she said before closing the door behind Katelyn and herself.

"Oh, yes. What a tragedy that would be," Draco muttered sarcastically as he trudged into the bathroom.

* * *

Breakfast flew by too quickly for Draco. Before he knew it, he was being dragged from the Great Hall by his friends. They were now walking to Muggle Studies, a few steps behind O'Doherty, Longbottom, and the "Golden Trio."

There were quite a few reasons why Draco couldn't stand the class they were heading to. First of all, why would anyone want to learn about Muggles? They're boring, brainless, and mean. Secondly, he had been forced to watch their former professor, Burbage, die and then be eaten by Nagini. To top it all off, the new professor was nearly unbearable. It wasn't really him per say, it was more of how the class went. The professor, Adam Henderson, was twenty-nine, although he looked and acted younger; he always had so much energy. He was tall, sandy-blonde, had dark brown eyes, and was Scottish. To girls, this all added up to extremely attractive. Half of them spent the entire lesson swooning over him, including Pansy. The only people who could keep the class on track were Theo, Granger, and O'Doherty. Draco was almost thankful the two the girls could pull it off, but he'd never admit that.

They were a few minutes early when they arrived and every desk was empty. For once, they had full control over where they sat. Near the front, Neville and Katelyn sat at one table, the Trio at another, and Theo and Goyle sat in the very back. Draco and Pansy were ushered to a desk in the middle of the room by Blaise.

When Professor Henderson emerged from his office he was carrying a large stack of papers and he seemed exceptionally giddy about something. He sat down at his desk, but jumped up again a moment later and started pacing around the room. Whenever someone would come into the classroom he would stop and look at them for a minute before smiling to himself and pacing some more. Everyone was used to his regular energy levels by now, but _this_ was starting to be ridiculous.

After the bell rang and everyone was seated he practically skipped to the front of the room, his joy ever so evident. "Hello! How is everyone this morning? Good? Good." He perched himself on the corner of an empty desk in the middle of the front row. He always kept it empty because, apparently, teachers need more than on desk. He never kept anything on it though. Truth be told, he just liked to sit there. "If you'll please turn in your homework up here and then pick up one of these forms." He set the forms on the desk and brandished one around in the air. "Then we can get started."

The students crowded around the desk. When Draco got his form he was that it was blank, as were all the others. Everyone had confused looks except for Henderson, who was still smiling merrily. Draco leaned over to Pansy. "Merlin, he's gone off the deep end already. . ." She snorted with laughter. Not the cute kind, but the annoying kind you're embarrassed to be around. It was that moment he decided he should have said the sarcastic comment to Blaise.

Professor Henderson waited until the class's chattering—and Pansy's squealing—subdued before continuing. "Okay. I've got big news, guys. This is why those forms are blank. I'd like to tell you rather than reading it off a piece of paper." He paused for a second to smile like an idiot. The class was quickly losing patience; nothing about Muggle Studies could be _this_ important. . . "In light of what has been going on and what has happened Headmistress McGonagall and I feel that it would be appropriate to repair the relations of wizards & wizards and wizards & Muggles."

Pansy interrupted with a "polite" raise of her hand. "That sentence made absolutely no sense at all." This was followed by sniggers from the Slytherins.

Henderson only laughed. "Yeah, I know. I'm too excited; I can't even form intelligible sentences. Just ask the other professors. I can talk about it for hours, just rambling on and on . . ."

"Kind of like you are now?" Katelyn asked in a lighthearted tone.

He laughed again. "Yes, I guess so." He smirked at himself, then at the class, then at nothing in particular.

"Then get to the point," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Alright." He hopped off the desk to stand in front of the class. "Since we have already been trying to work on inter-house relations—and yes, I did just see half of you role your eyes—we professors thought it would be fitting to fix young wizards' relations with other things as well. Like, for instance, the Muggle world and culture. To do this, and believe me, we did not come to this decision easily; we thought it would help you guys if we were to bring some type of Muggle culture into Hogwarts. I came up with the idea to bring Muggle electronics to the school. The professors all think it will be a great experience for you guys."

The Gryffindors straightened up in their seats, eager to hear more. The Slytherins, on the other hand, slumped down into their chairs and groaned. Except for Blaise, of course, who was—as he usually was—indifferent as to what he thought of the change. Draco was convinced that if it wasn't for the boy's lineage he would be a bloody Gryffindor.

Henderson continued. "Now, I know this is a colossal change, but," he flicked his wand, "your forms should now have words and you can use these to understand what it will be like. Obviously, it can't tell you everything so tonight you will have homework. In your books there's a whole chapter on electronics. Do the definitions for that chapter; there are about fifty, so have fun with that." He chuckled as the class groaned. "Sorry guys, but you need to know this stuff. Also, you should really read through those forms; there could very well be a quiz." This statement was met by yet another collective groan.

The rest of the time in class was spent talking about the influence of e most surprising of the news was that they were encouraged to bring in their own Muggle things if they had any; iPods, speakers, video games, movies, radios, phones; the whole shebang. Common rooms would be decked in lights instead of torches; they would also get TVs, stereos or jukeboxes, DVD and video game players, and computers. The students could barely contain themselves. When the bell rang they left chattering joyfully.

* * *

After Muggle Studies Hermione went to Arithmancy, Ron had Quidditch practice, and Goyle and Pansy left for Divination. This left Draco, Theo, Blaise, Katelyn, Neville, and Harry to bide their time until lunch since they had a free period. Somehow they managed to walk back to the common room as one group without anyone being murdered. When they stepped inside, O'Doherty sat down on a couch. "Come on, Neville. We can work on our Muggle Studies together. Would you like to join us, Harry?"

He was about to respond when Draco cut him off with a disgusted look on his face. "Absolutely not! I refuse to study with Gryffindors."

She sighed irritably. "Then don't. Go study in our room by yourself if it's such a problem."

Draco sputtered as if to insult her intelligence. "Uh, no! _I_ am going to work on homework in_ my_ room with _my_ friends. You just happen to have to come as well because I can't stand the headaches." He gestured wildly to himself, the door, and his friends—just about anything to prove his point—as he spoke.

This was met with a dramatic eye-roll. "Well, unless my friends can come you're going to end up with a headache. I don't mind; I've got a much better tolerance for such trivial things."

"No! I am not going to put up with these prats you call friends."

Harry was about to retort, but Katelyn stopped him, knowing that if he said something to Draco no one would get out of this uninjured.

Blaise took this moment to speak up. He placed a hand on Draco's shoulder in hopes of calming him down. "Maybe you could let her have her way, just this once, mate. Sort of like an apology for this morning."

Draco sneered, remembering how furious she was. "That is not something that will be apologized for." This earned him a fierce glare from O'Doherty.

Blaise inhaled deeply; he was very close to giving up. "Then think of it as payback, from her to you, for being a stupid prick."

The insult from his best friend definitely threw Draco off. Blaise was usually the one with a cool temper. He stared at him in disbelief for a moment before he, with much difficulty, recovered himself. Blaise was wearing an expression that implied he was waiting for an answer. Draco gritted his teeth. "Fine; they can come," he said and started toward the room.

He sat at his desk with Theo alongside him. The other four sat on the white rug in the sea of bean bag chairs. Neville and Harry looked at Blaise awkwardly, wondering why he wasn't at the desk with Draco and Theo. He gave them a look that said, 'Draco is being bitchy.' They were content with that; they never really had any direct problem with Blaise, so they would put up with him for Katelyn's sake.

Draco wasn't finished talking. "But, I'll have you know, I expect to get work done and if you can't keep your gobs shut—"

"Yeah, yeah. We get it; now piss off," Katelyn cut him off with a wave of her hand.

Draco pointed a finger at her. "I mean it, O'Doherty. Yesterday was the day for your friends. Today is the day for mine. Longbottom and Potter being here is a privilege and—"

"Privilege? You don't own me, Malfoy. If having my friends here is a privilege then having yours is a privilege for you. One that is surely about to be taken away." She crossed the room and stood in front of him. "And just so you know, I think it's entirely appropriate for my friends to be here because- no- I didn't get to spend any time with them yesterday because of you." She started an animated impersonation of Draco that made him look about as tough as Little Bo Peep. "_Oh, I have an awful headache, O'Doherty; I've got to lie down. No, you can't have your friends in our room; I don't think I could stand the extra noise. How could you even think of sitting with them in the common room? My head would only become worse if you did that._" Her voice went from faint to forceful, still mocking Draco. "So you can sit all alone while I pretend to be in pain so I don't have to be around your bloody friends!"

Harry took her by the arm and led her back over to the rug. "Okay, that's enough of that. Why don't we all just nice to each other and quiet, yeah? At least until lunch."

Draco snorted. "Yeah, let's see how that'll go."

"Shut up, Malfoy. That statement included you," Harry said. He didn't particularly like being here, but it was better than being alone. In fact, he had been prepared to put up with Draco. Since seeing Snape's memories he sort of felt bad for him. But this year Draco was back to his old self, and even if he wasn't targeting Harry anymore, he wasn't going to put up with Draco being a twat.

"O'Doherty, it would be nice if you could teach your friends some manners."

Katelyn ignored him and changed the subject, attempting to calm everyone down. "So, Harry, Ron took off for Quidditch. You're not on the team this year?"

"Oh, well, no. it's my last year so I thought I'd just take it easy, you know?"

"Of course; that makes sense. It's probably the same reason Neville's failing Potions._ 'Just taking it easy,'_" she joked.

"Hey! That's not true; I'm not failing."

She laughed. "Oh, calm down. I know that. You've been doing much better now that you have me to help you."

"Yeah, yeah; alright. And we're all about to fail Muggle Studies if we don't get our homework done."

They worked for about ten minutes before the first question was asked by Neville. "Where's 'computer' at?"

Surprisingly, it was Blaise who answered, and very politely at that, "Um, page 116, I think." Everyone gaped at him for a moment. "What?"

"You just—"he started, "Never mind, thanks."

Theo smirked at the exchange, Harry didn't know what to think, and Katelyn smiled gleefully. She was glad that the people she was forced to be around were being nice to her friends. Draco, though, looked nearly infuriated. "You, Blaise Zabini, a Slytherin, were just nice—helpful—to a Gryffindor . . . what has O'Doherty done to you?"

Everyone laughed except Draco, who rolled his eyes at them. "I'm serious. You get any worse and I'll hold an intervention."

* * *

Harry and Katelyn were the first ones done, no surprise. They attempted to help the other two, but were distracted by conversation of what they would bring to Hogwarts. Soon everyone had finished their work; Theo joined the group on the floor and they went over the rules on their information sheets. At one point, Draco came over to them and reluctantly sat down, claiming that he was bored. Theo said that really he was lonely. Katelyn started making a list of what she wanted to bring to Hogwarts.

"There, I'm done," she said, holding it away from her to look at it from afar.

Draco looked at the list. "O'Doherty, this is basically your entire house." He grabbed it from her and started to cross things off of the group, muttering as he went, "You won't need that . . . Oh, those will be in the common rooms . . . Why on earth would you need this?"

She snatched it back from him. "You wiped out half of the list. You know, for such a Pureblood, you do know a lot about Muggle things."

"Yeah," he scoffed, "Blame my mother."

"Blame? Oh no. Cissy should be worshipped for that," she teased. The group laughed again at Draco's expense. Katelyn called for Binky.

With a loud crack a small house elf wearing a dirt free pillow case appeared in the room. She looked cleaner and happier than other elves and her pillow case looked fitted for an elf rather than tied awkwardly around her. "Master Katelyn called for Binky? — Oh, hello Mas—Mister Draco."

Draco raised his eyebrows as a mock greeting to his former house elf. Katelyn grinned at Binky. "Yes, and how many times have I told you? It's just Katelyn, no 'master' or anything silly like that." She handed the list to her. "Could you bring me this stuff from the house, please?"

Binky smiled and nodded. "Of course. Hogwarts is allowing Muggle technology. Mrs. Narcissa told Binky about it. Binky will be back with your things." She dissaperated with a crack and returned a few minutes later with a box. "Here you are Mas—Katelyn, your things."

"Thank you very much; you can go now. Oh, and say hello to Cissy for me."

"I'll be sure to," she said, and then she was gone.

Harry smiled. "If Hermione had seen you do that you'd probably be dead right now."

Neville shook his head. "She isn't still on about that S.P.E.W. stuff is she?"

Katelyn rolled her eyes. "Well, Hermione can stick her spew badge (Neville covered her mouth to muffle the end of this phrase) because I'm not like that. If anything, I'd consider binky a friend. She was my only companion besides Cissy and a bird for four years' summers. I don't treat her like others would."

Draco snorted. "Now that you're done with your rant, why don't we sort through this crap?" The group spent the rest of the time until lung rummaging through the box of Muggle electronics. Astonishingly, everyone was very nice and respectful towards one another, even Draco, who only made a few snide comments. No one could have expected this. Katelyn was impressed and had the feeling that this cheery atmosphere could stick around for a while.


End file.
